MOVEMENT: “Reach for the Ceiling” from Toddlers on Parade by Carol Hammett and Elaine Bueffel

COUNTING SONG:*
10 Instruments

FLANNELBOARD:Old MacDonald from The Flannel Board Storytelling Book 2nd Edition by Judy Sierra. You can find the pattern for the flannelboard here.

Old MacDonald had a farm.
E-I-E-I-O.
And on that farm he had a sheep.
E-I-E-I-O.
With a baa-baa here and a baa-baa there.
Here a baa, there a baa, everywhere a baa-baa
Old MacDonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O.

VIDEO:
“Night Music”, “Aquarium” and “Musical Faces” from Classical Baby: The Music Show Stories

MOVEMENT: Storytime’s Over*

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL IDEAS:

Book: Fiddle-I-Fee: A Farmyard Song for the Very Young adapted and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Book: Sing! Lyrics and music by Joe Raposo, story in pictures by Tom Lichtenheld
Book: Knick Knack Paddy Whack sung by SteveSongs, illustrated by Christiane Engel
Book: Little White Duck lyrics by Walt Whippo, Music by Bernard Zaritzky, Illustrations by Joan Paley
Book: Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan ThomasDouglas Florian
Book: Chuck’s Band by Peggy Perry Anderson
Book: Jazzmatazz! by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Bruce Degen

HOW IT WENT:

I based a lot of this storytime on a previous one I did about singing. Jazz Baby was one of the most fun books I have read in really long time. The beat is so fun to read to, and you can change the pitch of your voice with the book, and snap or clap along and it’s a treat. A lot of the parents seemed to enjoy that one as well. I decided I wanted to try the Wee Sing “Clap Along with Me” song this time, and while I like it, I just don’t think it gives toddlers enough of the full body movement that they need at that point in the storytime. Maybe I’ll play around with the placement of it in the lineup in the future. I was originally going to do a different book than Moo, Baa, La La La with the toddlers, but since this was the first storytime in the series, it felt like a good choice to help them get used to the storytime flow. Plus it’s just so fun!